Pakistan Military Says It Killed 74 Fighters in Border Raids

Pakistan's military said on November 13 that it had killed 74 armed fighters in multiple raids in areas along the country's border with Afghanistan, according to Al Jazeera.

The military's update gave a breakdown by area. It said 31 fighters had been killed in southwestern Balochistan province since November 3, with weapons, explosives and ammunition recovered. A further 35 were killed in the past two days in separate raids in Mir Ali, and eight were killed in Orakzai, where weapons were also recovered.

The army described the dead as "Khawarij," a term it uses for fighters it says are backed by Afghanistan. The label includes the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), often called the Pakistani Taliban, which is a separate militant group from the Afghan Taliban government in Kabul.

The violence has also struck security forces. On Thursday, at least 11 policemen were killed and 12 others wounded after alleged TTP fighters ambushed a convoy in Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to reports of the attack.

Pakistan accuses India and Afghanistan of backing the armed groups operating against it. Both Delhi and Kabul deny any involvement.

Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Zardari, said operations must continue against externally sponsored terrorist elements seeking to undermine Pakistan's security.